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AI in B2B Marketing

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Partnering with an AI-aware marketing agency is key

As the advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) continue to shape the business landscape, it’s crucial for B2B marketers to understand the potential benefits and challenges of integrating AI into their marketing efforts. While AI offers valuable tools and automation, it’s important to approach its implementation cautiously and ensure that you have proper training, protocol, and processes for employees – especially as an agency servicing clients. Businesses hiring agencies should also understand the significance of partnering with vendors aware of the nuances of AI and inquire about these points before making any final decision.

  1. Define Your Objectives: As with any tool, it’s vital to clearly define your marketing objectives first and then identify the areas where AI can assist. Whether it’s lead generation, content personalization, or customer segmentation, having a well-defined purpose will help you assess the relevance and effectiveness of AI solutions.
  2. Understand the Limitations: While AI can bring efficiency and automation, it’s essential to recognize its limitations. AI algorithms depend on data, and biases can inadvertently influence outcomes. Further, its style – when copied directly vs nuanced with the human eye and mind – can be off-brand. Understand the potential pitfalls and ensure that ethical considerations are taken into account during the implementation process and that employees have clear directives on how to work with AI to avoid embarrassing mistakes.
  3. Choose the Right AI Tools: Evaluate and select AI tools that align with your marketing goals. Consider factors such as scalability, compatibility with existing systems, ease of use, and the ability to provide actionable insights. Collaborate with your IT department or seek expert advice to make informed decisions.
  4. Data Quality and Privacy: Data is the fuel that drives AI algorithms. Ensure that your data is accurate, up-to-date, and of high quality. Implement robust data governance practices and prioritize customer privacy and data protection. Ensure that your employees or agency aren’t sharing corporate secrets with tools that may not comply. Compliance with relevant regulations, such as GDPR or CCPA, is crucial for maintaining trust with your B2B customers.
  5. Partnering with an AI-Aware Agency: Let’s be honest, we are all figuring this out together as AI has just become mainstream. That being said, when seeking external assistance, work with a B2B marketing agency that understands the nuances of AI and has been testing its applicability in marketing. Look for agencies with expertise in AI-driven marketing strategies and a track record of successful implementations. They should have a deep understanding of your industry and be able to integrate AI technologies effectively while preserving the human touch.
  6. Collaboration and Training: Collaborate closely with your chosen agency throughout the AI integration process. Communicate your specific requirements and ensure that the agency understands your unique business context. Additionally, invest in training your internal team to leverage AI tools effectively and adapt to the changing dynamics of AI-driven marketing. Ensure that your agency has done the same. Typical agency structure means that, often, junior-level executives are creating content. Confirm with your agency that AI training is in place, inquire about what it looks like, and ask about approvals protocol for all content. Finally, be sure that employees understand that garbage in equals garbage out. AI often produces a recap of the information put in, vs. fact-based value-add.
  7. Continuous Evaluation and Adaptation: Implementing AI in B2B marketing is iterative. Continuously monitor and evaluate the outcomes, making adjustments as needed. Regularly assess the performance of AI algorithms, fine-tune models, and stay updated with the latest AI advancements to optimize your marketing strategies.

AI has the potential to revolutionize B2B marketing by enhancing efficiency, personalization, competitive analysis, and customer insights. However, a cautious approach is necessary to avoid pitfalls and maintain the essential human connection in your marketing efforts. By defining clear objectives, selecting the right tools, prioritizing data quality and privacy, and partnering with an AI-aware agency, you can harness the power of AI while ensuring a balance between automation and human interaction. Remember, AI is a supplement to human efforts, not a complete replacement.

GoTo’s CMO: COVID-19 Completely Changed my Career

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We continue our “Women in Leadership” series with GoTo’s CMO, Jamie Domenici.  Jamie is a huge advocate for women’s empowerment within the workplace, having worked hard to ensure women have a voice at the table.

Q: Please tell us a little bit about your role at GoTo.

A: As GoTo’s Chief Marketing Officer, I oversee our global marketing organization, driving our go-to-market strategy and eCommerce growth business. In addition to my role as CMO, I serve as the Executive Sponsor for WE@GoTo – GoTo’s employee resource group advocating for and empowering women+ in the workplace.

Q: Have you felt as if you have faced any challenges being a female leader in the workplace? If so, how did you overcome those challenges?

A: In my 20+ years working in the tech industry, there have been many times I have felt underrepresented as a woman. Early in my career, I remember being the only woman in an elevator full of men each morning on my way to my desk. This underrepresentation inspired me to advocate for women in the tech industry to ensure they have a voice at the table. At my previous employer, I was a diversity sponsor for our Customer Success organization and championed equal pay and closing the gender pay gap. At GoTo, I have continued to be an advocate for women by investing in career coaching for hundreds of women leaders across our company.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you have ever received from a co-worker, teacher, or mentor?

A: A female mentor of mine once told me that when things don’t go your way, you are half at fault for why they didn’t go as planned. She shared this with me when I was going through a challenging work experience, and I felt I was being overlooked for a promotion. Her advice taught me that I have just as must control over the outcome of situations as do the external factors involved. Instead of blaming others or sulking for what went wrong, I ask myself what I could have done differently to obtain the desired outcome.

Q: Do you personally feel the pandemic helped or hurt your career?

A: COVID-19 completely changed my career. Before the pandemic, I worked a typical 9 to 5 job where I was expected to be in the office most, if not all, days of the week. The rapid shift to remote work resulting from the pandemic proved to be a game-changer in how I stay productive and engaged in my career. This newfound appreciation for remote-centric work led me to move to a company that valued flexibility for myself and my customers. I don’t see myself returning to the 9 to 5 or taking part in a daily commute anytime soon, and am grateful to work for a remote-first company like GoTo. I have loved staying connected to my family while being even more productive “at work” – both possible thanks to our new, remote-centric workplace culture.

Q: If you were to have chosen another career path, what would it have been?

A: For much of my life, I have wanted to venture into politics, most specifically local politics in Burlingame, California, my current hometown, and the place I was born and raised. I even studied politics in college with the hopes of one day becoming the Mayor of Burlingame. I’ve also always had a passion for owning my small business and would love to be a florist operating my own flower shop. 

Q: What are you passionate about outside of the office?

A: At work, I’m a full-time CMO. At home, I’m a full-time Soccer Mom and very proud of it. As a former athlete, I now enjoy cheering my daughters on from the sidelines more than being on the court myself. When I’m not shuffling back and forth from one practice to another, I like to spend as many weekends as possible relaxing with friends and family on Lake Tahoe.

Q: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?

A: Burlingame, California! I was born and raised here and never want to leave the San Francisco Bay Area.

Connect with Jamie.

Influencers Who Inspire: Hubspot’s Mike Volpe

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Just a little over a year ago, Christine Perkett won a guest spot on Hubspot TV with Mike Volpe.  Christine received 40% of the vote and had the privilege of guest hosting with Mike live from their Cambridge, MA offices.  We’ve always had a huge appreciation for Mike here at PerkettPR, and appreciated him welcoming Christine so warmly and making her guest spot a really fun and rewarding experience. We were psyched he agreed to do an interview for our blog and to be a part of our Influencers who Inspire series.

Mike is the Chief Marketing Officer of HubSpot. He joined in early 2007 as the company’s fifth employee  and currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer.  He heads  HubSpot’s lead generation and branding strategy through inbound marketing, including blogging, search engine optimization, video marketing, and social  media.  Since Mike joined HubSpot, the company has  grown from 10 to 5,000 customers, expanded from five to 300 employees, and raised $65 million in venture capital.  Under Mike’s leadership, HubSpot’s marketing  has won more than 30 marketing awards and has been featured in over 20 marketing  and business books.  Mike is a cutting-edge B2B inbound marketer who speaks at  numerous conferences, hosts a weekly live marketing video podcast on HubSpot TV, is one of the 100 most popular marketers on  Twitter, consistently posts on blog.hubspot.com, and appears as  a marketing speaker at  industry conferences.  He has also guest lectured at Harvard Business School,  Babson University, Carnegie Mellon, TCU, Boston University, and MIT Sloan School of Management.

 

You wear many hats at HubSpot. How do you manage it all?

The truth is that I don’t manage it at all.  I have a great team.  At this point in our growth, there is little I can do as one person directly that has a huge impact.  The impact I can have is by setting the right strategy and playbook, making sure we have the right people on the team, and mentoring the team members to help them grow.

 

What do you love about your role at Hubspot? Anything you dislike about your role or would like to change?

I love marketing.  Call me a marketing geek, but I love thinking about marketing problems and talking about marketing.  Doing marketing at HubSpot is like a triple dose of marketing because we’re marketing our marketing software to marketers.  There isn’t much I would change – I’d love it if we had a gym in the office or had a chef cater our meals, both of which we are considering for our next space.

 

If you could golf with anyone in particular (celebrity or athlete), who would it be and who would win?

I love to golf, and Tiger Woods is the natural choice because his raw talent is a level above everyone else.  But I don’t think it would be much fun to play a round with him, it would be too intense and he’d probably get really frustrated with me really fast, and it just would not be fun.  So I’ll go with Bill Murray.  He is a good golfer and hilarious – nothing could be more fun than to play 18 with him.

 

What topics do you enjoy speaking about the most?

Is there something to speak about besides marketing?  I actually don’t speak a lot anymore, but when I do, I prefer to speak about my own experiences in marketing.  That is what I know best and I usually hate it when some “guru” is up on stage talking about marketing, yet they have not worked in marketing at a real company in years.

 

What is next for you in 2012? And, for HubSpot?

In 2011 my wife and I had our first child, sold our condo in the city, moved to the suburbs after we renovated a house, hired a nanny and my wife went back to work.  So we’re looking to have a less hectic year in 2012.

For HubSpot though, I think 2012 will be a huge year where a lot of the groundwork we have done over the past couple of years starts to pay off in a big way.  I am more positive about the next 12 months than I have ever been in the history of the company.  There are so many things to be excited about, most of which are not ready for prime time yet.  All I will say is make sure to join us at Inbound 2012 for an amazing event and some big announcements.